New Bekash, Towcester
Friday, 8 September 2000
restaurant factfile   also reviewed 1 August 2006

The New Bekash was reassuringly busy when we arrived so we were glad we'd reserved our table. IanD was first to arrive and found the waiting area to be a bit cramped. However, there was a big dish of Bombay mix with which to stave off the pangs of hunger. Despite waiting 10 minutes, no drinks were offered. As soon as the final party member arrived, we were shown to our table. The dining area is long and narrow with tables for a total of about 50 diners in the main area. On the way out, we noticed a small overflow area with another 16 seats but this wasn't being used on this occasion. The décor was very smart with wooden panelling along the lower halves of the walls and lots and lots of fake plants.There was also a room upstairs which looked like a function room but this was dark so we're not sure if it gets used.

For starters, we ordered onion bhajis, sheek kebabs, shami kebabs and also a mushroom bhaji (which wasn't on the menu). These arrived pretty promptly. The sheek and shami kebabs were very tasty and quite spicy whilst the onion bhajis had an excellent texture but were a little bland. The mushroom bhaji was also quite good. The single gravy boat of yoghurt was, not surprisingly, insufficient for our needs.

Both Chicken Dopiazas had lots of chunks of chicken in a thick, tasty sauce. The onions had been fried separately and sprinkled on top. We knew the Chicken Bhuna was going to be good as soon as we saw it - a very dry sauce with smallish chicken pieces. Our initial impression was correct. On the menu, the chicken pathia came with rice but this was swapped for a keema nan at no extra cost. The dish had a nice hot and spicy sauce and tender pieces of chicken but the portion was a little on the small side. The Chicken Tikka Passanda was very mild (as one would expect) and very coconutty. The tikka pieces were cooked to perfection - not a burnt piece in sight. It was supplied with rice which was also fairly well cooked. The Keema nan was only average with a VERY sparse filling. The Kulcha nan had a good texture and was reasonably well filled. The plain nan was almost perfect.

Friendly staff, efficient service, tasty and reasonably priced food and very cheap beers. What more could you ask of a curry house?

The Scores

Which gives an overall rating of 4 bhajis.